How Physical Fitness and Exercise Impacts Mental Health

WORKOUT - this seven-letter word has more people running away from the gym than towards it. Everybody wants to be fit, but no one wants to put that effort into doing it. Unfortunately, if you have to maintain some level of fitness, you have to work out.

If you want to prevent injuries as you get older, if you want to get in shape, or if you want to stay happy, you must work out. Happy? Really? Working out makes you happier? Indeed, it does. Working out has a number of benefits for your mental health. Here are some of them.

Better Mood

There are myriads of mental health benefits of exercise, and a positive mood is the first on the list. Working out regularly does not only benefit your physical fitness but also uplifts your mood.

Exercising releases endorphins and serotonin hormones that can dramatically improve your mood. Try it! It’s true! Even a short walk can boost your mental alertness and result in a positive mood. It can help you feel better about yourself and boost your confidence.

Sharper Memory

The endorphins that make you feel good also help improve your concentration and make you feel mentally alert for the tasks at hand. Exercising also results in the formation of new brain cells and helps prevent age-related mental decline.

Reduced Stress and Anxiety

Working out regularly reduces stress and anxiety. Exercising can also help you build self-efficacy by providing experiences of coping successfully with stress.

Exercise can also help you sleep better, which reduces stress and anxiety. Regular workouts can help decrease muscle tension. A little exercise and stress relief go hand in hand. There are other psychological benefits of exercise as well, but reducing stress and anxiety is what our generation needs badly.

Better Self-esteem

Exercising regularly makes you feel better about your appearance and results in a major self-confidence boost. It gives you a sense of accomplishment and empowerment as you see your endurance, strength, and overall fitness improve.

Better Sleep

Exercising helps you sleep better. Working out regularly means you also have a good sleep cycle. You wake up at a predetermined time every day and go to sleep at a pre-decided time every day as well. If you have a good sleep cycle, it does wonders for your mental health.

Does exercise help your mental health? Well, if you like to sleep more and wake up feeling fresh and ready to take on the day, I guess the answer is right there.

Improved Coping Ability

Exercising regularly can be your coping mechanism when it comes to handling negative feelings like frustration, anger and sadness. We have already established that physical activity and mental well-being, exercise improves both.

This results from the positive chain reaction that working out creates by reducing stress, releasing endorphins and improving sleep. Regular visits to the gym do not handle the situations for you, but it certainly gives you the arsenal to deal with situations better.

Reduced Loneliness

If you join a gym and start exercising, you have a chance of meeting new people as well. Exercising in a group also brings down loneliness. Therefore, your overall mental health is benefitted from a reduced sense of loneliness.

You get your spotters, the guy you learn from, the girl you share your dumbbells with or those old-timers who can knock you out with a punch but decides to give you valuable life lessons. A gym has it all. You have people from different walks of life, trying to achieve different things working out together. Practically, in our day and age, gyms are what bars used to be. It creates a sense of community and togetherness that we really crave at times.

Improved Cognitive Function

Exercising regularly can improve cognitive function in a number of ways. Working out increases the size of the hippocampus, which is that portion of the brain that is responsible for learning and memory.

It can also increase the volume of brain regions that are in charge of thinking and memory. Aerobic exercises like running, cycling and swimming can boost blood flow to the brain, thereby improving cognitive function.

Healthy Outlet

Exercising regularly can provide a healthy outlet for your frustrations. Ever had a bad day at the office and then gone to the gym? Notice how you can easily channel your frustrations as if they were on remote control? Exercising is a great way to get rid of your frustrations and improve your mental health while doing so.

Sense of Achievement

Working out dramatically increases your sense of achievement. This is because you set certain goals and objectives before you start working out. As you progress and meet some of those objectives, your sense of achievement improves. Doing this regularly can have a huge impact on your confidence.

In conclusion, exercising has a huge impact on your mental health. Working out regularly can dramatically improve mood and self-esteem, bring down stress and anxiety, improve your sleep, and ability to cope, bring down loneliness, improve cognitive function, and more.

Do one thing. If you don’t believe us, take a guest pass for any gym. Go work out for a single day and see how you feel about yourself. You will feel good at the end of your workout and your mental health will thank you for it.

I’ve never been to a gym. Can I start exercising?

Yes, if you haven’t been to a gym, you can start exercising as soon as possible. Exercising doesn’t require any special skill, all you need is willpower.

I’ve stopped exercising. Will I become depressed?

There’s no correlation between stopping working out and depression. However, you might be a tiny bit sad because you’ve stopped exercising.

What are the benefits of exercising?

Exercising has many benefits, like improving your mood, making you gain muscle and more.

Do I need to follow an exercise program?

Yes, if you go to a gym, then you have to follow a routine that will make you either gain muscle or reduce weight and keep you fit, depending on your requirements.

When is the best time to go to the gym?

There’s no best time to work out. You can work out in the morning or in the evening, or if you are not occupied, then the afternoon is also a great time.